


The bittersweet between my teeth (trying to find the in-betweens)

by lover_44



Series: The Middle Cyclone [2]
Category: Real Person Fiction, Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: BelikovOtp, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-27
Updated: 2012-06-27
Packaged: 2017-11-08 16:03:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/444953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lover_44/pseuds/lover_44
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He never thought he would be in a tiny London café  with Ben Barnes, of all people. The only cause for the pang in his heart was that someone he barely knew was the one who lead him out of his comfort zone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The bittersweet between my teeth (trying to find the in-betweens)

**Author's Note:**

> Again, big THANK YOU to my
> 
> [beta](http://our-dean-who-art-so-awesome.tumblr.com/)
> 
> who is a sweetheart.  
> Title comes from The Naked and Famous' song "Young Blood"

They were sitting in the armchairs at the far corner of a small coffee shop. They wandered and wandered around London, trying to get as far away from the party as they could.  They finally ended up there, sitting side by side in comfortable armchairs with mugs of delicious coffee in their hands. Things happen so strangely, Ben thought. Not too many hours ago he was pondering whether he should even go to the party and now there he was, thinking about how Taylor had such an easy smile. 

  
“I like this place. I used to come here a lot during the season of Birdsong.” Ben said, looking outside the nearby window and seeing the Comedy Theater far, feeling such a longing that couldn’t be explained even if he tried.    


“Birdsong.” Taylor smiled, following Ben’s gaze and understanding. “It’s a great book. Faulks is a great writer.” He took a sip of his coffee, wondering if he should, if he  could  ask certain questions. He then decided that they had broken the “acquaintances” protocol when they left the party. The  premiere  party of  his  movie. “You miss the theater, don’t you?”   


Ben looked at Taylor, surprised with the question and yet, not at all. “Am I letting it show that much?” He laughed a little, passing his free hand through hair. “Yes, I do. I will always miss it. It’s a strange relationship I always had.” He shrugged his shoulders, looking outside the window again.   
  
They fell into a comfortable silence. The kind of silence where you have a soft smile on your lips and nice thoughts in your head. Taylor was enjoying it. For the first time in quite some time, he was really enjoying himself. He was not thinking too much, he was not rehearsing the right words in his head, he was just…being himself. He never thought he would be in a tiny London café  with  Ben Barnes , of all people. The only cause for the pang in his heart was that someone he barely knew was the one who lead him out of his comfort zone. Life, he thought, had really strange ways of showing things to him.   
  
“Did you ever…feel like you would never get out of a character?” Ben asked, breaking the silence and catching not only Taylor, but himself by surprise. “I’m sorry, never mind.” He said fast, burrowing himself further into his armchair.    


“No, I…”  He sighed. A great pain that haunted him for months and was finally  buried somewhere else was threatening to burst his chest open once again. “Yes. Bang Bang Club.” He took a sip of his coffee, pretending his hand wasn’t slightly shaking “You?”  


Ben looked at him, recognizing Taylor’s reaction. Sometimes he hated being an actor. Too many feelings that weren’t his own. He reached forward, maybe to hold Taylor’s free hand, to reassure him, to…something. But he didn’t. Maybe they both needed someone to reach for their hands and help them cross this damned street.   


“Dorian Gray, as stupid as it sounds.” He sighed. It was the first time he was saying it out loud for over a year.   


“I thought you was going to say Prince Caspian.” Said Taylor.   
  
Ben could only laugh. A Prince Charming complexion was so far away from him that this shouldn’t even be funny. But he did laugh anyway, because Taylor was laughing as well, and this was the easiest conversation he had had in a long time. They feel into a comfortable silence once again, and when the incessant buzz of cellphones and the real world started to call them, they knew it was time to go. They got out of the coffee shop, stood at the sidewalk, waiting. Waiting for the night to slowly fade away and the day start to rise. It had been a nice change for both of them. To have someone to talk to without necessarily having something to talk about. It was easy, and it had a brought relief to all the pressure and a smile to both their faces.    


“Thank you, Taylor.” Said Ben, in an almost whisper. “This was...nice.” He smiled once again, as the final proof that even if he made a fool of himself at the beginning of the night, it was worth it.   


“Yes, it was. And thank you too, really.” He smiled back, breaking the rest of all of the protocol (if one ever existed) and stepped into Ben’s personal space, awkwardly hugging him.   
  
Ben could only hug him back, and as they both got into their separate cabs to different parts of London with the sun slowly rising to a new day, both of them knew that even with all of the characters blood, the pressure of always  having to prove themselves to people who didn’t really care about their talents at all, and the constant reminder that life was really different from the book characters they played, they knew that somehow, all would end up well.   
  
  



End file.
